Why it is winning
Feeding its shooters
The shooting duo of Jhaniele Fowler-Reid and Te Paea Selby-Rickit has been outstanding, but the ability to get them quality ball has helped with that. Both provide good targets for the feeders and Fowler-Reid, in particular, rarely has to shoot from range. That has enabled the Steel to make more than 80 goal attempts in all but one of its games and to shoot at 84.7%, which is going to translate into some high scores.
Speed through midcourt
No midcourt trio has been more slick than the Steel’s this season. It has played with speed and accuracy, keeping its error rate low and proving difficult for its opposition to contain on defence. On top of that, it has shown its versatility. It has fed from long range at times, played with pace to get the quick feed and then also shown it play patiently and break down the defence.
Limiting its rivals
The Southern Steel has scored plenty of goals this season, but its defence has got better as the season has gone on, too. Perhaps its most impressive statistic is that only once this season has its opponent attempted more goals than the Steel has scored. That comes from its ability to disrupt attacks, with Jane Watson in particular becoming a huge key to this team.
Questions that linger
What if Jhaniele Fowler-Reid can’t play?
It may be best not to think about, but any athlete is susceptible to injury. If that happened to the Steel’s ace goal shoot, it would no doubt have an impact. Fowler-Reid has scored 370 goals, shooting at 91%, and has got the rebound to finish on a lot of her misses. On top of that she is an imposing target and makes it easy for the feeders to find her close to the net. There is no doubt the team would still be good without her, but would it still be the best or just one of the pack?
Can it grind out a close game?
So far the Steel has found itself in a genuinely close game only once this year. On that occasion it pushed through. However, with all the big wins, it is largely untested in tight contests. It only takes the opposition to cut out a few errors and the Steel to make an extra few to make it a completely different game. So far it has risen above every adverse situation. But a tight game against a team playing well is something it has not had to face often.
How good is this team?
The Steel’s dominance of the New Zealand league makes you wonder how it would have gone if the Australians had not broken away. After a dominant season last year, in which it was tripped up late in the piece, it looks to have got even better. It quite possibly could have been its season in the transtasman competition, although, unfortunately, we will never know.
